Muhammad Ali: Easy Handpicked Fights “Can Ruin A Fighter”

“I started believing I couldn’t be whipped. After losing to Frazier, I’d won a lot of easy fights against Blue Lewis, Henry Cooper, Buster Mathis, Jurgen Blin and Jerry Quarry,” said the former world Heavyweight champion. “I didn’t have to train hard and discipline myself in order to win. I learned that too many easy victories can ruin a fighter just like a long line of defeats. You start thinking your name alone will win. You forget all the sacrifices that go into winning.”

This obscure but logical theory explains the sudden demise of Roy Jones Jr. who coasted his way through several years of very easy fights but then found himself ill-equipped to deal with the difficult challenges posed by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson.

This Muhammad Ali theory also explains the downfall of Floyd Mayweather Jr. who actually must sense his own mortality and this is why he adamantly refuses to step into the ring to face the high-risk challenges of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez.

So Al Haymon should realize that all these easy fights he sets up for Andre Berto and his other manufactured pretenders are only going to blow up in the end.